Beckerath, von, family

Von Beckerath, an old Krefeld family, came to Krefeld in 1694 as refugees from Rheydt. They had left Gladbach in 1654, where their progenitor Heinrich Jürgens was living in 1618. His son Jürgen Henricks was living in Haarlem in 1658. The sons of his third marriage, Jacob Heinrichs Jürgens and Theiss Heinrichs continued the line in Krefeld and Rheydt. The change from the patronymic form of the name to "von Beckerath" was made about 1700. It is possible that members of the family lived in the village of Beckrath in the Wickrath district for a short time after their expulsion from Gladbach. Members of the family were prominent in the industrial development of the city, in the life of the Mennonite congregation, and in public affairs. The most famous was Hermann von Beckerath.